Reckless (9 page)

He needs a challenge, someone who makes him work for the prize.

Diego doesn’t make a move the entire way back to the Dragonfly. Even though I’ve resisted him, it doesn’t feel that way when the vehicle stops in front of the hostel.
 

He kisses me one last time.

“Be a proper girl this evening. I don’t want you doing anything naughty.”

The implication is clear. He doesn’t want me to touch myself or get myself off. The audacity of his words is striking.
 

Who says that to someone else?
 

Hot air rushes between my lips as I tell him I won’t.
 

I gather my spare clothes and step out.

“When will I hear from you again?” I ask.

“Soon.”

Diego pulls the door shut and the SUV drives away.
 

The college-aged kids are still hanging around.
 

I feel like a total whore walking through the courtyard. My dress is scrunched up and my hair is disheveled. I probably look like I just got bent over in an alleyway. I rush to my room, ignoring their stoned expressions.

Closing the door to my room, I go to the sink and splash cold water on my face. I’ve never seen such hunger in my eyes. Can this really be happening? Am I actually falling for a man that I swore to take down?
 

I can’t think right now. I just want to get this stupid device off of me and to be under the covers in bed.

I loosen the adhesive and pry the tape off of my leg. The pain is welcoming—anything to distract me from the sexual urge I so aptly denied.

Hands beat at the door.
 

I dry my face and shut off the water. From the window, I see that it’s Nick and José. Those two are probably worried sick about me.

I open the door. “Hey.”

“How long have you been here?” Nick asks. “Why didn’t you call us?”

“Relax, I just got here. I was about to let you know I got back safely.”
 

I hold the door open and let them inside. This isn’t a conversation we should be having while they’re standing outside.
 

“How far were you guys able to track me?”

José shuts the door. “We saw the Escalade leave. Two figures were in the back, so we figured you were inside. The curve of the roads forced us to stay close. I think they knew we were trailing them, so we backed off, but then we lost you. We couldn’t hear anything from the mic after you passed the gate. We were worried that it might have been discovered.”

I tell them about the dress and having to remove the wire and the driver freaking out about something. I leave out the part concerning me being blindfolded and the freaky sex room I discovered. I don’t think Nick would let me go on another date with Diego if he knew such risks were present.
 

I don’t even know why I’m willing to take the chance. It isn’t only lust. There’s something else. I understand the pain I see in Diego’s eyes. I know that kind of loss. He isn’t evil; he’s simply doing the only thing he knows in order to survive, believing it will give him the means to change the world.

“Where did he take you?” Nick asks.

“Machu Picchu. I think I earned his trust.”

I ignore Nick’s baleful eyes at the word
earned
.
 

“So what’s next?” José asks.

“I’m not sure. Diego said he would call me soon. That might mean tomorrow or it might mean next week.”

“I’ve got reports of a big meeting happening soon,” José says. “Supposedly several high-ranking drug leaders are coming into town. I’m not sure when, but word on the street is that a former high-ranking drug dealer has come out of retirement.”

“Who? It isn’t—”

José nods. “Eduardo Peña. That’s what I’m hearing, at least. I want to get a recon setup for when they come in. We need eyes on who is getting off the plane. I think I’ve got a couple of good spots picked out along the mountainside. I’ll let you guys know in the morning. I’m going right now to meet one of our agents who came into town to give us the equipment we’ll need.”

José tells us to lay low and to get some rest as he heads out.
 

I ignore Nick’s lingering stare.

“So what happened?” Did you get any good evidence?”

“Nothing really. He took me to his house. We ate lunch, and he gave me a dress. And no. There was no hard evidence anywhere.”

Just his hard cock.

“Why did he take you to Machu Picchu?”

“I think he was trying to be romantic.”

Nick laughs—a jealous laugh, I sense. “I would love to see Diego’s version of romance.”

My nostrils flare. Like Nick knows anything about being romantic. “Actually it was quite nice. He took me to a lookout point where there was champagne and all these little candles were set out. It was like something out of a movie.”

Nick isn’t interested.
 

“Did you kiss him?”

“No! And even if I did, what would it matter? I’m supposed to date the guy. If I really want to get into his inner circle, I might have to do more than nod when he’s talking.”

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. I wasn’t trying to interrogate you. I just don’t like you being alone with him. That guy is dangerous.”

“The most dangerous part is having to wear this wire. We have to either put it in a different location or come up with something else. If Diego wants me to wear tight dresses, I don’t know how I’m going to hide it. Diego isn’t stupid enough to say anything incriminating. We should focus on getting hard evidence.”

Nick shakes his head. “You have to wear the wire. Nearly every great criminal bust has been done with undercovers wearing one. It’s how the Italian mob was taken down. We’ll think of something.”

I sit on the bed.
 

I feel bad for Nick. He’s done nothing but protect me. He would have to assume responsibility if something bad were to happen. And I can tell he still has feelings me. I knew it when we worked together in New York. I figured time had cooled those old flames, but obviously it’s only fanned them.
 

He’ll never admit it, but it’s obvious for everyone to see. I think that’s why José always leaves us alone. It’s as if he senses that he’s an extra in all of our meetings. But Nick is too by the books to ever date a colleague. He’ll bury his feelings until they drive him mad.

“You never told me how I look,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

Nick studies me and smiles. “You look like a movie star.”

6

I don’t hear from Diego for several days. José keeps tabs on the dates and times of when the planes carrying the high-ranking drug suppliers will be landing, but he keeps getting the same response: soon. He’s been lurking in the shadows of the criminal world, bribing people for information and trying to make new contacts while Nick and I have been crawling up the walls at the Dragonfly. The college kids are still here, and I’ve half-wondered whether they’ve made it a permanent refuge.

“Go fish,” I tell Nick.

He tosses his cards into the muck. “I’m done. I can’t play these stupid card games any longer. I have to get out of here.”

“José told us to stay put.”

“I don’t care what José said. If I don’t get out of here I’m going to lose my mind.”

I smile. “Is straight-laced Nick defying an order? Let me get a camera, so I can capture this rare moment.”

“Don’t call me that. You know I hate it.”

“That’s precisely why I said it.”

Nick tosses a card at my face.
 

I swat it away and punch him.

“So where do you want to go?” I ask.

“Anywhere. Let’s hit up all the lame tourist spots and buy worthless keepsakes. It will be fun to pretend we’re on vacation.”

“You don’t have to convince me. I was ready to leave yesterday. So, on this fantasy vacation of yours, are we supposed to be husband and wife?”

Nick considers this. “Nah. That’s too predictable. We both didn’t know each other before. Fate brought us together on the plane. Since you were late for your flight, you had to be reseated next to me. By the time we landed, we were both madly in love and we haven’t spent a moment away from one another.”

“How romantic!” I throw my hand across my chest. “A chance encounter with straight-laced Nick. How could a girl resist?”

“Very funny. So you want to go or not?”

“Sure.”

We walk to the Plaza de Armas, which is right around the corner from the hostel. It’s a large square with a fountain in the middle and a gold statue on top. We look around for which sight to visit first.

“There’s an Inca temple down the road, but the Cathedral of Santo Domingo is right here,” Nick says.

“That’s fine with me.”

We wander through the cathedral. It’s quiet and dark, packed with tourists whispering and pointing. The air is thin and cold.
 

“Do you ever go to church?” Nick asks me.

“Only when I was a kid. My dad went every Sunday.”

“It didn’t rub off on you?”

“Not really. I think he thought if mom was gone then there must be heaven and a god and all that.”

“And you?”

“I came to the opposite conclusion. Why, Nick? Did you recently get religion?”

We watch a group lighting candles and offering prayers.

“Nah, I’m not a churchgoer, though I admire people who are.”

We leave the cathedral. Or rather, I leave and Nick follows.
 

Outside, Nick spots a vendor and runs toward him. He purchases a rose and offers it to me.
 

He kneels before me. “To love at first sight.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Hey, I’m just following the script.”

“Uh-huh.”

As a parade passes through the square, I lift the rose to my nose. The flower is a cute gesture, yet it’s so Nick. Diego would never offer me a rose. It’s not that I don’t think he’s romantic. Our night at the top of Machu Picchu was one of the most romantic nights of my life. The difference is that when Diego wants something, he doesn’t need subtleties.
 

I’m not sure who Nick thinks he’s fooling with this falling in love on the plane charade. I suppose he doesn’t know any other way to express his feelings. When it comes to planning a sting or escaping a hazardous situation, I’ve never met anyone as capable as Nick. However, when it comes to a woman’s heart, Nick is about as lost as a tourist without a map.
 

But I don’t mind the attention. Besides, Nick is sweet and harmless.
 

I watch him eying the children playing musical instruments in the rear of the parade.

“Aren’t they cute?” he asks.

“Very.”

“Do you ever think about starting a family?”

I laugh, shaking my head.

“I’m serious,” he says.

“How are people like us supposed to start families?”

“Say you quit. Then you could do whatever.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Oh come on, Miranda. You’ve thought about it. Everyone has thought about it.”

“Of course, I’ve thought about it.”

“So what would you do if you did quit?”

“Become a housewife.”

We both laugh.

“So let’s say you quit and started a family and had a bunch of little Nicks running around the house. Do you really think you could be happy with that?”

Nick considers it. “Yeah, I do.”

“God help you.”

We continue walking down the street until we come along a merchant selling bus tickets to the Sacred Valley in Urubamba. Not having anything else to do, we buy a pair and board a bus.

We climb the Inca ruins until my feet and lungs can’t take any more. By the time we return to Cusco, the sun has receded and the nighttime crowd is invading the streets. The price of food in Cusco is so cheap we decide to have dinner at an elegant restaurant with candles on the tables and a band.

A waiter greets us. Even though Nick is with me, I’m glad the waiter speaks English.

“What a beautiful couple,” he says. “Are we on vacation to celebrate an anniversary?”

Nick and I look at each other.

“Actually,” Nick says. “We met on the plane ride over here, shared a bag of peanuts, and are now madly in love.”

The waiter clutches his heart. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Love at first site. How wonderful!”

He takes our order and returns with our bread, announcing to the staff about the young lovers. A band member steps in front of our table with a guitar and plays a song. I don’t know the words, only that it sounds romantic and sweet. We both clap and tip him when he finishes.

Nick and I briefly talk about the case, though we’re careful not to reveal any names or locations.

“Do you know what you two are doing next?” Nick asks.

“No, not a clue.”

“You really need to be careful. You’re in a very unstable situation and surrounded by the most dangerous kind of people.”

“I know. Just keep an eye on me, and I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll try, but I may not be able to always track you. Things like the other night are bound to happen again.”

“I’m aware of that. I’ve got it covered. He’s been nothing but sweet to me so far.”

Nick chews a piece of bread like its been dipped in sulfur. “That’s what worries me. Every time you talk about him, you act like you’re dating the head football player.”

“Nick, that’s ridiculous. Try looking at this in a positive manner. Would you rather I tell you he was being mean and that he hated me? If he isn’t sweet to me then I haven’t done my job. I’m winning him over.”

“Yeah, but is he winning
you
over?”

I stare at him.

“It isn’t a difficult question, Miranda. Your delay concerns me. Maybe it was a mistake asking you on this assignment. I think Bailey was right. You’re too emotional right now to think clearly.”

I slam the napkin against the table. “You’re the emotional one! It’s obvious the way you feel about me. You’ve just never had the guts to admit it.”

I storm out of the restaurant, slamming the front door and tossing the stupid rose onto the street.